A STRANGER'S KISS
by clairehart916
Summary: ."As soon as the lights turn off,all of you will shuffle up.On the count of 3 u will kiss the person next 2u"Alice stated the rules of game.Jake held my hand tighter.Someone pushed him and i ended up tripping.A strong pair of arms caught me."1.2.3"OH.GOD.
1. Chapter 1: CHRISTMAS GIFT

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own twilight. These character belong to SM.**

**A/N: please review and tell me if i should continue or not.**

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**Chapter 1**

**Christmas Gift**

**BPOV**

I was in my truck, glancing at my watch ever so often.

_Great Bella! This is what happens when you wait till last minute to buy Christmas present for your boyfriend! _I thought as I honked my horn in a desperate attempt to get my truck pass the unnerving crowd and make my way to the most popular jewelry shop a few miles away. With a heavy sigh I realized that my effort was fruitless. There was just no escaping the maddening traffic jam. I laid my head back at the uncomfortable yet familiar head rest of my truck. I thought about the first time I visited that shop a few weeks ago with my boyfriend – Jacob Black.

_:__FLASHBACK:~_

"_Where are we going Jacob?" I asked exasperated. Man, didn't I hate surprises._

"_Jeez Bella! Your vocabulary certainly isn't aware of the word patience. Fine! We're going to Port Angeles." Jacob answered._

_Port Angeles was at a good distance from Forks where we originally lived. Forks was a small town devoid of any fancy malls and markets or reputed restaurants. So we usually visited Port Angeles for selected reasons like shopping, going on romantic dates or just hanging out with a bunch of friends. Although I was a little confused by the fact that Jake wanted to keep our visit to Port Angeles a secret. I didn't want to pester him about telling me the reason seeing he was already a little put off for revealing a part of the secret. The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence except for Jacob reciting the lyrics of all his favorite songs along with the radio._

"_Here we are!" Jacob exclaimed, stopping the car at an empty spot near a Jewelry shop. My eyes went wide in shock. It was one of the most expensive jewelry shops. Why in the world will he bring me here? Is he insane? Just a little ring would cost more than his monthly salary!_

"_Jake, what in the world are we doing here?" I asked him, my eyes still glued to the glittering letters 'WEISFIELD'S JEWELERS' inscribed on the huge white board above the shop, making it stand out among a cluster of other shops surrounding it._

_Jacob turned to look at me with a smug grin plastered on his handsome features._

"_Well, I wanted to buy you a Christmas present. Although, I would have liked it to be a surprise but then again, I didn't want to gift you something you wouldn't like, seeing that I'm not always the best judge when it comes to gifts and all. So I thought I should bring you here so you could select a gift of your choice." He finished._

"_But Jake this is a really expensive shop" I retorted. He just rolled his eyes at me._

"_Bella, I've been saving for this from a long time just to get you a perfect gift for Christmas. I've worked extra hard for this Bella, so please don't spoil it. Just select what you like the best. I have collected enough amount to buy the most expensive ornament in this shop. If you retort or select something cheap purposefully...then it will break my heart. So please humor me. Now let's go."_

_There he goes...way to go Jake. Guilt me into this. Great strategy! But no matter what, I was truly touched by his thoughtfulness and decided to comply with his decision. The jewelry shop was utterly astonishing. I saw some of the most eye catching objects there. A particular necklace caught my attention, but before I could avert my gaze from it...Jake noticed me admiring it. After a lot of argument Jake finally convinced me to buy it. He prevented me from having a look at the bill and took the gift-wrapped necklace and we started to head out. I was almost to the exit door when I noticed that Jake was absent. I turned around only to see his eyes locked at a beautiful diamond entrenched, most expensive looking pen. An involuntary smile lit up on my face and I made a mental note to save enough money over the next few weeks to buy him this present. Ofcourse I will have to sell some of my things if I wanted to afford that pen in such a short span time but Jake was worth it._

_~:END OF FLASHBACK:~_

A loud sound of horn brought me back to the present from my reverie and I glanced around to see the traffic had been cleared and people were waiting for me to drive. I drove as fast as I could to the jewelry shop. Not much time was left. In just a few hours the party will begin and I'll have to give him that gift then. Today was Christmas Eve party. My best friend, Angela and her boyfriend Ben had organized it at their place with help of certain other students from our class. Angela was also a major in the English department like me in the University of Washington. I had come back to forks to spend my Christmas holidays with my dad, Charlie and Jacob. Jacob was my age old friend but we have started dating only a year ago. Things were perfect between us. I couldn't have asked for better. Angela, Ben and a girl, Alice from junior section, who was Ben's best friend's sister, had arranged this party together. From what I've listened...this is going to be one of the best parties people of Forks have ever witnessed. Apparently Alice had willingly contributed a lot of amount for this party to be perfect. I didn't personally know her but can tell that she was a spendthrift. **(A/N: don't worry people, they'll be best friends in future. They just don't know each other for now)**

Finally I reached the shop and parked my car. I was late. The party was supposed to begin in an hour. I made my way to the jewelry shop in a haste and Ofcourse, being me, I tripped. I steadied myself before I could fall on my face and make a fool out of myself in front of everyone. I opened the door and noticed the diamond embedded pen displayed on the counter with the owner of the shop standing behind the counter. I practically ran over their and grabbed it claiming it mine.

(At the same time)

"I WANT THIS"

"I WANT THIS"

I heard two voices claiming the pen at the same time. One was mine which got muffled up with a velvety silk-soft voice from beside me. I looked down at my right palm which rested on the splendid glass case inside which the pen was kept and noticed that my hand wasn't the only one holding it. Another pale hand was placed on it as well. I looked up and my eyes met a pair of startling green eyes. He had bronze colored hair with pale white skin. He was breathtakingly gorgeous. The guy also seemed out of breath, no doubt he came running in from the other entrance door, opposite to the one from which I came. He looked back at me trying to catch his breath just like I was. The depth of his unfathomable eyes had no limit. I shook my head to end my trance and averted my gaze from him before I could get lost in those eyes along with all my coherent thoughts. I looked at the owner who was looking at the two of us with amusement.

"I'm sorry, but this is the last piece. One of you can always go for something else. We have lots of other startling items." The shopkeeper said.

"NO!"

"NO!"

We both said simultaneously. God! This was getting annoying. I heard the shopkeeper's light chuckle. Irritated, I looked back at the green eyed stranger only to find him frowning at me.

"Haven't you ever heard? 'Ladies first' " I said to him looking straight in his eyes.

"Well you heard him" he said in his velvet-soft voice, nodding towards the owner "there is only one piece. If I let you first then I wont be getting any chance at all" he replied with an amused crooked grin. Almost involuntarily my breath caught up in my throat and my heart thumped unevenly. His crooked smile was mesmerizing. God, he is too handsome for his own good. But I'm not letting him win this argument! Not at any rate!

I worked on keeping my breathing even and managed to put up a stern expression on my face. I don't think I was doing my job well. His amusement grew as he saw my expression and now he was trying to stifle his smile.

_Argh! He'll pay for this!_

"Please let me take this. My girlfriend selected it and she likes it too much. I promised to buy it for her" He pleaded using full force of his dazzling eyes on me.

_Na-uh. I'm not going to surrender to you Mister!_

"Well so does my boyfriend. I've been saving for this from a long time and I'm not going to let you go away with this." I stated stubbornly.

He let out a frustrated sigh. Apparently his dazzling power worked very well on other women. But not me! And this Ofcourse frustrated him. Good.

"Fine!" he retorted in a stern and frustrated yet surprisingly velvet voice "I'll pay twice the amount for this!"

"WHAT?" the shopkeeper and I said at the same time. My eyes wide with astonishment.

_Is he INSANE?_

My anger had no limit. How _dare _he?

"I'll pay thrice the amount!" I found myself claiming aloud. And there goes my tuition fee. I couldn't believe I just did that. I would never do it. I was the one instructing Jake and Renee, my mom, to save money and not to spend it mindlessly. And here I was, paying thrice the amount of the original prize for an already expensive gift. But I guess my stubbornness got the best of me and I couldn't stop myself.

The shopkeeper and green eyed stranger turned to me. I could see a wide grin plastered on the shopkeeper's face while the green eyed man – I should seriously consider an easier name to refer him – glared at me.

"Alright, I'll pay four times the original amount" he said with finality in his voice. I could feel my mouth open in astonishment. Either he's crazy and needs to be admitted to a mental hospital immediately or excessively rich and spoilt who is wretchedly in love with his girlfriend.

After recovering from the temporary shock, the shopkeeper turned to me expectantly. A sly expression on his face. "I bet you can't beat that" he said in a challenging tone. I rolled my eyes at him - Did he honestly think I'll be willing to pay more than _that? _– and shook my head, defeated. A smug, victorious grin lit up on the stranger's face and he took out his credit card. That's it. I couldn't stand a second longer in this room. I was about to exit when a piercing, high pitched voice stopped me in my tracks.

"EDDIE...." the voice sang as a girl with strawberry blond hair entered the door. She was stunning and looked like a model that just came from shooting. She wrapped her arms around the green eyed stranger's neck; whose name I assume is Eddie.

_Huh. Weird name. Even 'green eyed stranger' sounded better than this._

I watched him look at me from the corner of his eyes, his face flushed and his expression embarrassed. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from laughing.

"Tanya. Sweetheart. I told you not to call me by that name. My name is EDWARD!" He stressed "not...not...E-EDDIE!" he stuttered in a disgusted tone.

"Aw c'mon Eddie, I know you secretly love this nick name I gave you." She countered kissing his cheeks. He gave out a heavy sigh and once again I found him peeking at me from the corner of his eyes, his eyes troubled and embarrassed. This time I couldn't restrain the light chuckle that escaped my lips. Man, wasn't I enjoying this show!

I heard the beautiful blond, Tanya I guess, gasp. Her eyes were wide as she looked down at the diamond rooted pen in Edward's hands.

"OH MY GOD EDDIE YOU REMEMBERED! YOU BOUGHT IT FOR ME! OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU SO SO SOOOO MUCH!!!!" she practically shouted over her lungs.

Poor Edward. His face was jet red and he looked as if he's never been this embarrassed before. I decided to give the poor man a little peace of mind and turned away to exit the door. But Ofcourse, I couldn't help laughing the entire way and made sure he noticed it too. He _so _deserved it!

**EPOV**

Oh God! What else would I have to go through to keep my Boss's daughter impressed!!

I'll never be able to forget this embarrassing day in my life!

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.

.

Nor will I able to forget the beautiful brunette who just exited the shop....

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**A/N: please review! if i get sufficient amount of reviews, i'll update within next 3 days! so plzzz leave your reviews people...**


	2. Chapter 2: THE PERFECT KISS

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own twilight. All the characters belong to SM.**

**A/N: WOW! I really never expected to get such a great response for 1****st**** chapter! Really...your reviews made my day. I'm glad you all liked the plot. Thank you all so very much. Now the answers of some of your questions:-**

**Yes! Edward is dating Tanya...but he is in no way emotionally attached to her. Remember the part he says **_**"what else would I have to go through to keep my **__**Boss's daughter**__** impressed." **_**Other reasons why he is forced into this relationship would be revealed in the upcoming chapters. Just wait and find out :)**

**There will be more EPOV but only when necessary. There would be more of Bella's side of story.**

**So on with the chapter...enjoy!**

**Chapter 2**

**The Perfect Kiss**

**BPOV**

After the unpleasant encounter with practically the most handsome guy on planet, I exited the shop and made my way towards my truck. He and his oh so cheery-spirit girlfriend had annoyed the hell out of me just before the Christmas party for which I'll have to make sure to put up a rather forced expression of excitement and elation for the sake of my friends and Jake. I needed some fresh air. Anything to clear my mind. Hence, I decided to take a little ride in my truck and come back to the shop once I'm sure they're gone. I'll have to look for a different gift for Jake. Even though that thought disappointed me, I was sure that Jake would appreciate it anyway.

What should have been a short aimless drive took a little longer than expected. There was barely half an hour left for the party to begin and I still have no gift for the best boyfriend in the entire world. I rushed my car to the all so familiar jewelry shop and parked my car at the nearest empty spot available. To my horror the entrance glass door of the shop was locked and a sign 'CLOSED' hung from the knob of the door. My heart broke while nervousness made its way up my veins.

_Shit! What am I gonna do now!!_

Jake had practically spent every single penny he had saved to buy me the necklace for Christmas and I was absolutely empty handed and I was supposed to give him my gift at Angela's party where he would give mine to me. This was humiliating. I looked around to see if any other gift shop was open. No luck. This day couldn't possibly go any worse. With a defeated sigh I leaned against my truck, trying to come up with a way so I wouldn't have to go empty handed at the party.

And then I saw it.

A little cardboard box was kept in front of a little shop. There were little very cute puppies cuddled together trying to get themselves liberated from the tedious brown walls around them. One of them particularly caught my eye. It was a little white Dalmatian with tiny black spots. It looked adorable and energetic. I still remembered Jake's desire to own a little puppy. But a puppy in return for the stunning necklace Jake had bought?

_Like you have a choice!_

That's right. It was either the pup or nothing at all. I made up my mind to buy the similar pen that the green eyed stranger – Edward – pilfered away from me once more of its kind were available, later. I made my way to the box and knelt down. The little Dalmatian looked up at me with its adorable innocent big eyes. It melted my heart. A girl inside the shop before which I was standing, noticed me and came running to me.

"Hi! Do you like any of them? Would you like to keep them?" the little girl, who looked about 5 to 6 years old, asked.

I nodded gratefully and indicated my forefinger towards the Dalmatian.

"I love this one." I clarified. A huge smile spread across her face as she picked up the cute little puppy in her fragile embrace and held it towards me. I took it from her smiling gently as it cuddled into me. It was _so _sweet.

"How much for it?" I asked the girl, reaching for my purse with the spare hand. The girl shook her head eagerly and pointed her little forefinger towards the front of the box. There was something scribbled across the box but the writing wasn't clear. I bent down a little so I could read it clearly and then I made out the words 'FREE' written. It was the handwriting of a little five year old kid, probably the girl standing beside me.

"Are you sure you don't want anything for it?" I asked the girl.

"Nope. Just give him a home to live. Dad wont lemme keep it anymore. But will you please come to visit with him sometime. I would love to see him!" the girl asked expectantly. I smiled at her and nodded.

"Sure! Thanks a lot for him. I'll take good care of him. What's your name?" I asked her kneeling down so that I was at her eye level.

"Kate" the girl replied timidly, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she peeked up at me from under her eyelashes. She was endearing.

"Thanks a lot Kate. I'll come to meet you with my new friend whenever I can. You're a very sweet child" I said and she blushed deeper. I laughed and ruffled her golden hair playfully and made my way back towards my truck. I drove as fast as my old truck would allow to my house. I changed into a Spaghetti Strapped Brooch Bubble Dress [link for the dress - www(dot)cybernetplaza(dot)com/party-dresses/11143(dot)asp] and arranged my hair into light curls so they looked presentable for the party. After keeping Jake's gift comfortably in a beautiful box, I made my way to the party.

The arrangement for the party was astounding. Ben and Angela's center hall had been completely transformed into a party ground. A huge dance floor in the middle of the room dominated most of the place while a few round tables were arranged further away with three to four chairs placed around them.

Among the crowd, I spotted Jake sitting at one of the round tables with his best friend Embry. Too intent in his conversation with Embry, he didn't notice me when I made my way towards his table holding his present in my hand. While approaching his table...something caught my eye. Pale white skin and bronze colored hair. I stopped dead in my tracks.

_This is NOT possible!!_

After decreasing the distance a little more, his startling green eyes became vivid and I saw him staring back at me. His face mirrored my shock and incredulity.

"Bella! Finally, you came! You're late though, I thought you won't be coming" Angela said coming to greet me.

"Angela, what's _he_ doing here?" I asked, unable to hide my astonishment as I continued to stare at him. He refused to remove his gaze from me as well as he stared back at me with pure shock and confusion.

Angela followed my gaze till they rest on the green eyed stranger and recognition came to her. "That is Alice's elder brother." She replied.

"What??" I asked, my voice rising by an octave as I finally removed my gaze from Edward to look at Angela. "_That _is Alice's brother? Ben's best friend?"

"That's right! How do _you _know him?" she inquired.

I just shook my head before replying "don't ask"

Thankfully she left it at that and went to attend other guests. I saw Edward calling his sister. Alice, a short and thin pixie like girl with spike hair, came and he whispered something in her ear before indicating towards me, probably asking her the same question that I asked Angela. Alice's eyes flickered to me and she whispered something back to him. I decided to ignore him and started walking towards Jake.

Just my luck...his chair was just next to Jake's table. So much for trying to ignore him.

Alice departed while Jake finally saw me. "Bella!" Jake called standing up and holding me in his arms. "you're late" he complained after giving me a chaste kiss.

"sorry" I mumbled and took the only spare seat available beside Jake...which Ofcourse happened to be nearest to the arrogant stranger! Someone has some serious issues with me up in heaven; otherwise my luck wouldn't have been _this _bad! Edward sat at his table with his drink and pretended to be oblivious to us. Embry excused himself after sometime giving Jake and me some privacy. Jake took out a splendid jewelry box and placed it on the table.

_Uh oh! Here it comes!_

My present was kept behind my chair and thankfully the puppy was fast asleep so he wasn't making any noise.

Jake opened the box and took out the brilliant diamond necklace.

"Merry Christmas Bells" he wished and turned me around so he could put the stunning necklace around me neck. He removed my hair and placed them gently on my left shoulder. Then he placed the necklace delicately around my neck. After placing the necklace properly, he kissed the back of my neck and whispered in my ear "I'm sorry, but I couldn't manage to bring a gift that looked as beautiful as you. Your perfection has dulled it's beauty."

I blushed at his comment and turned back to face him. I cradled his face in my hands and looked straight in his eyes. "It's perfect Jake. Thank you so much!" I said and leaned forward to kiss him. The moment after our lips just barely touched...the moment was broken. Thanks to the stupid arrogant greed eyed stranger. He found it appropriate to practically _shout_ out loud to call the waiter when the waiter was standing just _beside_ him, as if he purposefully wanted to ruin the moment.

_Is he TRYING to annoy me?_

The waiter jumped slightly in shock and turned to look at him in confusion. Apparently I wasn't the only one who found his behavior peculiar. "what may I do for you sir?" he asked formally.

"I...uh...I-I need water. Yeah, could you please bring me a glass of water?" he stuttered. The waiter nodded and went to fetch him a glass of water. I sighed and turned back to Jake who was frowning at Edward too, agitated at him to break the moment for a glass of water. I smiled apologetically at him before bending down and picking up my gift for him. I swallowed heavily before picking up the basket and placing it on my laps.

_Great going Bella! What a perfect way to thank your boyfriend for gifting you a diamond necklace. Gift him a free puppy you picked up from a box infront of a random shop! Jake is SO lucky to have you! _I thought sarcastically and regretfully.

"M-Merry Christmas Jake?" it came out more like a question as I handed him the basket in which the puppy slept peacefully, and waited anxiously for his reaction.

Jake raised an eyebrow and took the basket from my hand. He removed the blanket and noticed the little Dalmatian sleeping. His lips turned up into an amused smiled and he looked up at me, attempting to frown playfully but the smile playing on his lips gave him away. "A puppy?" he asked.

"y-yeah. R-Remember you said that you always wanted a puppy? S-So I thought to gift you one on Christmas." I stuttered looking down and blushing. Seriously! How _could _I look up at him after this?

"You purchased it for me?" he asked, the amusement in his voice increasing.

_What should I do? Tell him I bought it for free after he gifted me a diamond necklace? Or lie to him now and tell him the truth later once I've purchased the pen for him?_

I decided to go with the latter decision and prepared myself to lie to him as impeccably as I was capable of. "Umm...yeah! After searching a few shops I finally came across this Dalmatian and purchased it for you" I replied looking down at my hands which rested on my laps.

I saw Jake as he bit his lower lip hard as if to prevent himself from bursting into laughter.

"uh...But Bells, isn't this the same dog that I saw in a box kept infront of a grocery shop in Port Angeles, which read 'FREE'?" he asked.

Edward, sitting beside me suddenly coughed in an attempt to stifle his laughter but failed badly. His body shook with laughter as he tried his best to hide it by pretending to cough. I glared at him for a moment before turning back to Jacob apologetically, who was now laughing out loud. I was sure my face resembled a tomato in color.

"I'm really sorry Jake. I wanted to buy you the same diamond embedded pen you liked _so _much at the jewelry shop in Port Angeles but some _jerk, stupid, moron _claimed it at the same time. I agreed to pay thrice the amount but he said he'll pay four times the original amount and I couldn't do anything. It was the last piece. So I decided to buy you the pen once more of it's pieces were available. Honestly! I've been saving for it from a week! But when I returned back to the shop I noticed that it was closed and so were all the other gift shops. Then I saw this shop with really cute puppies placed in......" I rambled on an on at an incredibly fast pace due to my nervousness before Jake stopped me.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Relax Bella" he chuckled. "I love this present. And don't even think of buying that pen! It's way too expensive. Besides I like my little new sleepy friend more than that pen anyway" he said and winked at me. I smiled gratefully at him. He was the bestest boyfriend anyone could ever dream of...and I will gift him that pen no matter what!

"So what do you want to name our little friend?" Jake asked, tickling the puppy as it stirred while sleeping.

Something flashed across my mind and I smiled slyly at him. Now was my turn to laugh.

"Well actually I was thinking of calling him.....EDDIE!" I suggested and peeked at Edward from the corner of my eye to observe his reaction. Edward's posture became rigid as he held his hand halfway to his mouth but stopped dead before taking a sip from his drink. I smiled contently.

_Well done Bella!_

"EDDIE? What kind of silly name is that? I would never name such a cute puppy..._Eddie!_" Jake replied with disapproval.

"HEY EDDIEEEE....!!!" A familiar high pitched voice sang as I saw Tanya running towards Edward and hugging him tightly and sat on his laps before kissing his cheeks. "I'm so sorry Eddie, I'm late. I hope you didn't have to wait too long honey-buns." She said in a sickly sweet voice.

Edward's face grew even paler if that was possible and it seemed he would _die _of embarrassment!

Jacob's entire body was shaking with laughter as he turned his head to the other side and tried _very _hard to suppress his laughter. I on the other hand, did nothing to help. I was laughing out loud without caring about the stares I received from some people. This was way beyond funny than I imagined. Poor Tanya didn't pay any attention to us as she assumed, we might be laughing at our own private joke, and continued to torture Edward by playing with his tie. Seriously, I should make this my favorite spare time hobby – embarrassing Edward!

Edward buried his face in his left hand. "For crying out loud Tanya, how many times am I supposed to tell you not to call me by that name?" he said exasperatedly and pulled away his hand to look at her. "my name is EDWARD! Please call me by my name!"

Tanya stared at him in complete shock, taken aback by his sudden outburst. "okay..." she said cautiously before getting off his laps. "Whatever! Hey, this is my favorite song! Lets go and dance!" and with that she dragged him to the dance floor.

Jacob chuckled lightly and shook his head. "well, that was funny. What a coincident!" he remarked.

I chuckled. "Yeah! Coincident!" _if he only knew..._

"so? Mind joining me for a dance?" he asked, extending a hand for me to accept.

"Jake, you know I can't even walk on a stable surface without finding something to trip on. How do you expect me to dance?" I replied.

He rolled his eyes. "It won't be that bad, bells. Just one song. I promise" he assured and took my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

Before we could even begin to dance, the music stopped. Noises of disapproval and protests from the people filled the room. I saw Alice walking towards the front of the hall and she took a mike in her hand. We all looked at her in confusion.

"Alright everyone. May I have your attention please? Thank you. Firstly, I'm sorry to disturb you while dancing. But we're about to play game called – A Stranger's Kiss. We'll be switching off the lights. Once the room grows dark, I wan all of you to shuffle up among yourselves. On the count of 3, you will stop moving and stand still in your places. Then you'll kiss the nearest person standing beside you. It could be a guy kissing girl, a girl kissing a guy or even a guy kissing guy and girls kissing girls. It just has to be the person standing closest to you. No protests. No complaints. Ofcourse, overprotective boyfriends and jealous girlfriends can hold their partners tightly, but I doubt it would work among so many people running in the dark. Anyways, we're about to begin the game. Get ready to receive your Christmas kiss." And with that Alice left and went to the main switch board. Jake held my hand tightly in his grip.

Suddenly, all the lights switched off and the room went entirely dark. Jake's grip was still tight on me but I felt someone trip in the dark and stumble on top of Jacob. Jacob's hand left mine as he fell on the floor. I was about to bend down and search for him when someone pushed me and I ended up stumbling across the dance floor, not sure where I was going. All the people running and shuffling were driving me insane. This was the _worst _game I've ever played!!

Someone slammed into me once again and I ended up pushing someone. From the sound that escaped that person's mouth when I tripped over, told me that it was a girl. I was about to apologize when someone stepped on my left foot and I tripped and fell down, waiting for the floor to hit my face.....but nothing happened. A strong pair of unfamiliar arms caught me before I could hit the ground and steadied me. More people slammed at us and to prevent me from hurting myself, the stranger who saved me, held me tighter while wounding his arms tightly around my waist. I could feel his toned chest and incredible muscles as I stood there in his tight and protective embrace. After a few seconds, Alice's voice came through the speakers.

"1....2....3...."

OH. GOD.

Everybody stooped. All the noises around us died away. Everything became still. The stranger's grip around my waist loosened and I felt my breath picking up pace as I thought of what was coming. Stranger's left arm was still wound delicately around my waist and I felt his other hand hold my chin and tilted my head upwards. My heart was beating at in incredible pace. I could feel stranger's sweet breath coming closer and closer to my face. His smell was intoxicating, driving me crazy! Who was he? His nose touched mine and I could hear _his _uneven breathing as he brought his lips closer to mine, just lightly brushing them. The feeling was overwhelming and incredible, and he didn't even _kiss _me yet! Finally his soft lips captured mine and an electric shock ran through my body. I guess he felt it too as he stopped for a moment in shock, before bringing me closer to him with his left hand which was wound around my waist while his right palm still cupped my chin, deepening the kiss. All the coherent thoughts in my mind disappeared. This kiss by far was the most amazing and..._perfect _kiss I've ever received. My lips felt as if they'll burn from desire as the tingling feeling never left them. I could feel thousands of butterflies in my stomach and I clutched the collar of his shit with both my hands and brought him closer to me. He kissed me back with more passion and eagerness, his lips moving in perfect rhythm with mine.

Finally we both broke the kiss as it became entirely necessary to breath. Our breathing was ragged as his left arm still rested around my waist and he ran the back of his right hand along my cheek. I leaned in his touch; too overwhelm to make sense of my actions. Both my hands rested on his chest. His nose traced my jaw, making my breathing jagged.

"who are you?" the stranger's voice came in a light whisper...and my entire body became rigid. I removed my hands away from his chest. I recognized his velvety soft voice. I could recognize this voice _anywhere!_

_This couldn't be possible! No chance!_

"3....2....1....STOP!" Alice's voice filled the silent room and the lights flicked on.

All my doubts disappeared. There was no more uncertainty as to who was the guy I just kissed.

Before me stood a very shocked looking Edward. His green eyes wide with recognition and twinkling with excitement. The amount of butterflies in my stomach increased. His position never changed. His arms were still wound tightly around my waist.

My perfect kiss was from a very familiar green eyed stranger….

A/N : hey people! I need suggestions for **A NAME OF THE PUPPY. **So if you have any suggestions for a name for a cute little Dalmatian :p…please tell me in your reviews. The best suggestion would be appreciated and I'll finally be able to give the puppy a name! Help!

**A/N: Please review!**

**Review!**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3: MEETING THE CULLENS

**A/N: Thanks a ton for all your wonderful reviews guys! Love you all so much and this entire chapter is dedicated to all the reviewers who were good enough to find time to appreciate my effort :)**

**It's great to know that you all liked it so much.**

**As for the name of the puppy, I was seriously taken aback by so many suggestions and all of them were DAM GOOD! It was extremely hard to pick. Finally with the help of voting from my friends and sisters I chose a perfect name for the puppy :)**

**You'll find the name and the reviewer who suggested the name in the story…so go ahead and enjoy! ;)**

**Chapter 3**

**Meeting The Cullens**

**BPOV**

We stared at each others eyes for an immeasurable moment. The lights have been flicked on and I could make out a low babble of noise among the crowd but I was too caught up in the moment to even care to distinguish the voices. For some reason my heart absolutely refused to settle down it's pace, the overwhelming giddy feeling never left my stomach. To say I was mesmerized would be an understatement. His emerald green eyes were shockingly shimmering with innumerable emotions. There was shock which quickly evaporated into recognition and an unfathomable sense of affection. His breathing was still a bit ragged, like mine and his arms refused to leave my waist.

"Ahem! Ahem!" I heard someone clear his throat from behind me. it took me a second to recognize the voice and after recognition, I felt guilty. It was Jacob. I took a step back from Edward and almost regretted it when I saw the hurt expression on his face.

that was when I heard that annoying screeching voice.

"How _dare _you! How dare you kiss _my _boyfriend!!" Tanya's shrill voice filled the room. She was even successful in catching attention from quite a few people.

_Well let's get ready for the mortification.....and I'm SO not talking about myself._

_Poor Edward._

In one quick motion Edward unwounded his arms from my waist and took a step away from me. I wanted to smack myself hard for feeling hurt at his action. I had to remind myself that I hated him before composing my features.

"Tanya, relax. It's just a game and you know that." Edward tried to put some sense in his thickheaded girlfriend's mind. I was surprised by the amount of hatred I suddenly seemed to posses for his girlfriend. Wasn't I the one who was enjoying her thickheaded-ness just a few minutes ago?

"yeah, but she _pushed _me! purposefully." She replied and narrowed her brown eyes, filled with distrust and aggravation on me.

"I'll take the responsibility of that." I heard Jacob's voice as he snaked his arms around my waist. "I tripped and ended up accidentally pushing Bella because of which she got lost in the crowd. Nothing was intentional or purposeful." He replied, defending me.

I noticed Edward's eyes dart to Jacob's arm around me and he looked up at him with a hard expression and his jaw clenched. Before I could even begin to understand his expression, Jacob dragged me and took me back to our table.

"Geez, that was the weirdest couple I've ever seen" Jacob commented once we settled down on our seats.

"Right. Tanya was starting to get on my nerves." I said, looking at the dancing couples. I spotted Edward and Tanya in the middle of the crowd, her arms were around his neck and she was unabashedly nibbling his ear lobe in front of everyone. But what surprised me the most was Edward. It looked like he was paying no attention to her activities. Instead, his eyes were intent on _me._ They were swaying their bodies to the slow music while the entire time his gaze remained fixed on me. His eyes didn't falter from the target of their gaze even when I caught him staring at me. His expression was unreadable but intensity of his gaze made me blush and I had to look away.

"Tanya? You mean that blonde? Yeah, she was annoying. But I really didn't like the guy. I wanted to punch him in the guts for the way he was looking at you" Jacob replied.

I rolled my eyes but when I turned to look at him, his expression was furious and grim and…embarrassed? Why was he embarrassed?

That was when something caught my mind.

"Hey Jacob, who did you kiss?" I asked in a teasing tone, but there was a mild curiosity behind it.

All of a sudden, the color from Jake's face drained away. He swallowed hard and looked away. I grew suspicious and even more curious.

"Jake?"

"I-I didn't kiss anyone. I fell down and…that's it. By the time I stood up, the lights were flicked on." He stuttered. His voice hesitant. It was crystal clear that he was lying, but I wondered why he would hide it.

"Since when did you became such a bad liar Jake?" I asked casually.

He looked at me with wide eyes before composing his features and said "I dunno what you're talking about. I didn't kiss anyone. End of the topic"

I shrugged and let it go. Suddenly, a tall guy with ugly beard who looked in his late twenties stumbled in front of us. He looked completely drunk.

"Hey gorgeous!" he slurred. I fisted my hands, ready to punch him in his face when I noticed that he wasn't looking at me. That's when I noticed that his gaze was zeroed on…...

Jacob!!!

A very horrified looking Jacob.

"That was a hell of a kiss. I hope to see you soon" the drunken guy said with a wink and then disappeared in the crowd.

I felt my jaw almost hit the ground. I turned to look at Jacob, with an incredulous and horrified expression which exactly mirrored his expression when he turned to look at me.

"Before you assume anything, lemme tell you that _he _was the guy who pushed and made me fall down. Before I could even register what was goin on, he just…..forced himself on me. I wasn't even able to get up. God, it was the most terrible and disgusting thing that ever happened to me. I was trying to kick him away but his grip was…strong." He rattled on in one breath and finally looked down, looking beyond embarrassed.

I studied his expression for a moment, letting his words sink in. Then I burst into laughter. I couldn't help it, I was laughing like there was no tomorrow. From the corner of my eye I saw Edward and Tanya make their way towards the only empty table available beside us. Edward's eyes flicked from Jake's mortified face to my laughter and I saw a curious expression on his face and an amused smile as he saw me laughing. Tanya wore a disgusted and annoying expression when she saw me laughing out loud. I didn't care a bit. I was too caught up in the moment to worry about what Miss I'll-annoy-the-crap-out-of-you bitch thought about me.

Without thinking I blurted out a little louder than a whisper – "Jake, you accidentally kissed a _guy_?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I noticed Edward throwing his head back and laughing out loud unabashedly along with me. I could feel Tanya's annoyance with the way her eyes were narrowed at her boyfriend, almost threatening him to stop laughing. The threat didn't seem to be working at all because Edward seemed to be actually enjoying the sight of my mortified boyfriend. Then I felt a little guilty. Jake looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself right there. I finally got rid of my hysterical laughter and apologized to Jake, much to Edward's disappointment.

"Sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to laugh at you." I said, looking sheepishly at him from under my eyelashes with a guilty expression. His sad and slightly furious expression melted away when he met my gaze and his lips twisted up in a warm smile.

"You're forgiven, but for the love of God, can we please just leave? I'm really beginning to regret coming to this party." He replied, running a frustrated hand through his short dark hair.

Something caught my mind. "Wait a second! Where's the puppy?" I looked around the room with alarmed eyes.

"Relax Bella. One of Angela's friends liked it a lot and took it for a while to play with it. He's fine" Jake replied. I nodded.

"Your puppy is so cute. Thank you so much for letting me play with it." A bell like voice chirruped from behind me. I turned around in my chair to see a very jubilant Alice making her way towards us, with our puppy cuddled in her loving embrace.

"Alice?" came Edward's startled voice, realizing that she was Angela's friend that Jake was talking about.

"Hey Edward!" Alice replied beaming at him and then turned to Tanya. "Tanya" she said with a curt nod in her direction. Tanya didn't even bother to acknowledge it and kept staring at her perfectly painted nails. I heard Edward give out a weary sigh and knew that his sister and his girlfriend definitely don't have a pleasant history. Then she turned her attention back to us and handed me the puppy.

"I think it's the best and most unique Christmas present ever! Have you named it yet?" Alice asked, back to her exuberant self. I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Thanks Alice. Well, I've not yet thought of a name…but you're welcome to share your suggestion" I replied.

"Really!!?" she cried out excitedly almost bouncing up and down in her place. I heard Edward's light chuckle in the background and turned to look at him shaking his head at his overly-excited sister with a loving expression. My lips automatically curled up into an involuntary smile. His girlfriend's dislike towards his sister doesn't seem to have any effect on his relationship with Alice. It was all too vivid that he loved his sister tremendously. My smile however vanished when my eyes met Tanya's bored face and saw her rolling her eyes at Alice. I was beginning to think that she had some major problem with the entire female population of the world. Weird.

Even Jake had an amused smile on his face while he looked at Alice and he stood up to pull out a chair for Alice and offered her to sit in a very gentlemanly way.

"Thank you" Alice smiled at him and willingly took the offered seat and turned to look at me.

"So I was thinking of calling the puppy 'Scout'. it _so_ matches him. What do you think?" she asked expectantly. **(A/N: A huge thanks to PurpleChameleon for suggesting the perfect name for the puppy!)**

I thought about it. _Scout_…I really liked that name. I grinned at Alice and nodded.

"Alice this name is _perfect_!" I replied with appreciation. Alice grinned back at me.

"Thanks Bella. Why didn't we meet before? I mean we go to same college and had a common friend. I wish I knew you before. It's _so _good to know you." Alice said, her eyes sparkling.

I smiled back. It felt so good and…._easy _to be with her. So natural. I'm not a social kind of a person really, but with Alice…it felt like I knew her from years.

I was taken out from my reverie by Jake's cell phone ringing. He picked it up and excused himself from the table. After a moment he returned with a disappointed look.

"Bells, it was my dad. He wants help at home and he is all alone. I think I'll have to leave." He said.

"It's okay. I'll just say goodbye to Angela and Ben, then we can leave" I replied standing up. I saw Alice pout at her seat and apparently Jake noticed it too.

"No Bella, it's alright. You enjoy the rest of the party. I'll see you tomorrow. Call me once you reach home safely. Here take the keys of my car. I'll take a taxi back home." He said reaching in his pocket to search for his car keys.

"Oh don't worry about it. I'll drop Bella to her house myself." Alice interrupted. Jake looked at me for confirmation and I nodded. With a smile he kissed me goodbye and hurried to the exit taking scout with him.

"Oh Bella, we're going to have a blast tonight! C'mon, I'll introduce you to some of my friends." Before I knew what was happening, I was being dragged by Alice at a far corner of the huge room. I saw a couple. The man was huge and bulky and looked really cute with curly brown hair and a happy grin on his face while he talked to the girl who by every means was the most gorgeous women I had ever seen. She had a mind-blowing figure and looked like a swim suit model with beautiful blonde hair. I felt self-conscious just by looking at her. she was in a tight red dress that hugged her curves perfectly.

"Emmett, Rosalie…meet my new friend Bella." The couple turned to look at me. the blonde, whose name I guess was Rosalie smiled at me while the guy, Emmett, shook my hands.

"Hi Bella! I'm Emmett, Alice's elder brother, and this is my girlfriend Rosalie" he said pointing at the beautiful blonde.

"Hi" I waved shyly. I can't help but feel intimidated by Rosalie, though I can tell she was genuinely a nice person.

"Bella, Rosalie and I were going to the mall tomorrow….we would love it if you'll accompany us." Alice asked excitedly.

"yeah, it would be really good. Boys would be coming too…after all we need someone to carry our bags" Rosalie said with an impish grin in Emmett's direction.

"Aw not again! Rosalie can't we just –" Emmett whined but before he could finish Rosalie interrupted.

"Emmett, please….cant you even do me this little favor? I'd really _love _it if you join me tomorrow on the shopping trip" Rosalie said seductively running her fingertips along Emmett's broad chest. Emmett swallowed hard and nodded furiously. I bit my lips to stop from giggling.

Alice however giggled and muttered under her breath "one gone and one left to convince" and then looked over at Edward and Tanya's table where they were busy talking…..actually Tanya was busy babbling and Edward looked bored and was trying extremely hard to pay attention.

"They're going to go with us?" I asked nervously and even Alice noticed that my eyes were only on Tanya. Spending a whole day with Tanya would be a worse punishment than being sent to a trip to hell!

"Oh don't worry. _They _won't be going with us; just _he _will be joining us tomorrow. I'll never make a mistake of taking _Tanya _with me!" Alice assured me.

I looked at her questioningly with a raised eyebrow, wondering what might have happened for Alice to hate her brother's girlfriend so much.

As if reading my mind Alice said "Long story…I'll tell you the reason for my distaste towards her _and _her dislike towards me later."

I nodded and let the subject drop. Tomorrow's going to be a _really _interesting day……

**A/N: hope you all liked it, and sorry for the delay…I had been really busy last week.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!! More reviews will encourage me to update faster.**

**NEXT CHAPTER – Edward and Bella together on the shopping trip, Edward's confessions about his relationship with Tanya, lots of E/B fluff, Alice and Jasper's first romantic encounter, more drama from Tanya and Jacob and lots of humor.....and yeah, EPOV would be included too :)**

**Stay tune and pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee Review!**

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	4. Chapter 4: EDWARD'S PAST

**DISCLAIMER****: ****I****do not own twilight. These characters belong to SM.**

**A/N: Thanks a lot for all your lovely reviews! this chapter didn't go as i planned...the reason is given at then end of the chapter in author's note. please review!**

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**Chapter 4**

**Edward's Past**

**EPOV**

I honked the horn of my Volvo with a little more frustration than before. I've been waiting for Tanya for past 45 minutes in front of her house and every ounce of patience I have been containing in myself seemed to be demolishing in front of my very eyes.

_Why _did _she call me so early if she can't get ready on time! UGH!!!_

With another weary sigh I let my head fall on the headrest of my driver's seat, closing my eyes for a moment and preparing myself for the onslaught that Tanya was bound to bring with her once she enters.

_Why am I with her again?_

_Oh yeah! Because when I first met her, I genuinely thought she would be a nice person to hang out with....._

However, now she was beginning to get on my nerves!

_Why can't I just break-up with her now?_

_Oh right! Because she's my boss's daughter! I'll be risking my job _and _my career if I made a mistake as drastic as that. And I can't let that happen! This job is more important to me than anything else. I've dedicated half of my life trying to be on the position in which I am right now!_

_So breaking up with Tanya is out of question._

_My life officially sucks!!!_

Working for Mr. Denaliin 'Men's Fashion League' was like a dream come true. It was the most popular magazine and was flourishing with every passing day. I was his special favorite and when he found out that I was dating his daughter, he was more than just happy. And surprisingly, I ended up with a promotion just a few weeks after that. Shocking isn't it. Yeah. Right!

Well if he can promote me for a reason as simple as dating his daughter…then there is no doubt that he can easily fire me if I break his daughter's heart.

With another frustrated sigh I glanced back at my watch.

ALMOST 1 HOUR LATE!!!

I ran an angry hand through my hair. I had to drop Tanya at her friends' house as soon as possible if I have to make it in time to go on that shopping trip with Bella. It wasn't difficult to convince me to go on that shopping trip once Alice informed me – with a knowing smile, I might add – that Bella was coming there too.

An involuntary smile lit up my face at the thought of the beautiful brunette who suddenly seems to rule my entire world. As crazy as it sounds but Bella has never left my mind or my heart ever since I met her at that jewelry shop.

I chuckled at the memory, shaking my head. I still remember her little angelic face with the most adorable expression adorned on it. That angry frown, that endearing pout, those unfathomable sparkling eyes narrowed at me in anger….like a little kitty trying to act like a tiger. I can't help but chuckle again. She was the most gorgeous and endearing women I've ever met. And I definitely can't seem to erase the heavenly kiss that the beautiful angel gifted me. Almost subconsciously my fingers traced the tips of my lips where Bella's lips had touched mine. The tingling feeling on my lips returned tenfold, just by the mere thought of that moment. That exotic and blissful moment.

I was, however, brought back from my reverie by none other than Tanya…

"hey EDDIE, I'm READY" Tanya giggled, descending the stairs of her house…correction…_palace_, and made her way to my car. Somehow the idea of rhyming my pathetic nick name given by her, with the word 'READY' seemed to be very appealing to her.

_Help me God!_

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**BPOV**

With one last look in the mirror, I was ready for my day out with Alice and friends. Alice had offered to pick me up from my house and we planned to meet the others in the mall itself. I decided to wear a pair of denim blue jeans and sleeveless white button down shirt. My hair was tied in a low ponytail which was slightly off of one side and cascaded over my left shoulder with a curled strand of my hair placed on the right side of my face.

The constant self consolation that there is no need to be nervous didn't seem to be helping much. My nerves took the best of my rationality and I was getting more and more nervous by every passing second as I thought about the upcoming shopping trip where I'll meet _him._

Last night's kiss has definitely turned me slightly biased. No matter how hard I tried to recall my past hatred for him, I wasn't succeeding. That, I could deal with. But what was driving me absolutely crazy was the fact that I can't seem to be able to obliterate the feeling of his gentle warm lips on mine. The way they moved in perfect synchronization with mine. His intoxicating breath, his twinkling green eyes, his loving embrace, his crooked smile, his musical laughter......

UGH!!!

I shook my head vehemently, trying to rid myself of the unwanted thoughts. I couldn't help but feel frustrated at myself. It was just one single kiss in a darn stupid game!!! I shouldn't be allowing myself to get affected by it so much!

I managed to calm myself a little more by taking a deep breath. I couldn't let these thoughts invade my mind and senses completely. I was in love with Jake. Edward was attractive; I can't deny that fact.....oh alright! Edward was _much _more than just attractive. He was living Adonis! But that in no way changed how I felt about Jake. Jake has been my best friend for as long as I know. Our love for each other has just enhanced our relationship into a stronger and unbreakable bond. I would never let a kiss at a random party ruin what we have.

I was brought out of my reverie by the sound of a horn. I went to peek out of my window only to see Alice's Porsche standing in my driveway.

"Hurry up Bella, we're going to be late!" she called out, waving her tiny arms at me.

"Coming Alice!" I replied and dashed towards my bed to pick my purse. Before exiting the house I waved my dad goodbye and entered Alice's car. Alice gave my outfit an approving glance with a smile after I settled myself in the passenger seat.

I knew basic things about the Cullens, thanks to Angela. I knew that Mr. and Mrs. Cullen had three children among which Alice was the youngest. Now I knew that Edward was elder than her while Emmett was the eldest. Her father, Carlisle Cullen was a very capable and a well known doctor. On his wife, Esme's request, they decided to move to Forks, as she wanted to settle in a place devoid of city's chaotic mess, pollution and noise. Angela did mention Ben's best friend, Edward but I never paid much attention before. There wasn't much to talk about him either. But I did remember Angela mentioning that Ben's best friend, who apparently turned out to be Edward, was not Alice's blood related brother. He was adopted. But that's all she ever told about me and I didn't even bother to pry for more information on the topic knowing she wouldn't know more about it herself.

Although now I was dying to know more about Edward's history.....just out of curiosity of course, nothing more!

I think.

I fidgeted uncomfortably on my passenger's seat, trying to decipher how to approach the topic.

_Will she think im being nosy by interfering in their personal issues?_

I wasn't sure. Alice seemed open enough but why would she feel comfortable in talking about something so personal with a stranger she only knows from a few hours?

Alice was talking about what she wanted to do today, nonstop! But I could hardly pay any attention. My mind was running steadily, trying to come up with a way to bring up the subject. Noticing my lack of response and perceiving my discomfort, Alice turned to look at me warily.

"Earth to Bella?" Alice asked waving her right hand infront of my face while the left hand remained at the steering wheel. "Are you all right?"

"uh...yeah. I'm...I'm fine, really." I replied with a small smile.

She frowned slightly before rolling her eyes and said – "Bella, just spit it out alright. I know you've been trying to say something ever since you stepped in. You can ask me anything, you know" she assured with a smile.

"Well, there's something that Angela mentioned one day...and I was just thinking...well...I – is...Is Edward adopted?" I finally, blurted out.

_Wow, that was _seriously _not how I wanted it to come out! Stupid Bella!!_

Alice stared at me in shock for a moment and I felt beyond stupid!

"I'm sorry, Alice. I really didn't mean to pry. Forget I asked anything. I just –" I tried to apologize but Alice cut me before I could finish.

"Its okay, Bella. No need to apologize. It's just that I wasn't expecting it...I was slightly shocked for a moment. But it's okay. As I said, you can ask me anything." She waited for a while before she let out an audible sigh and continued. "Yes. Edward is my adopted brother. His parents, Edward Anthony Mason and Elizabeth Mason, died when Edward was 11 years old. They had a tragic car accident. Although....." she hesitated for a while which blazed my curiosity on fire. After contemplating whether to continue or not, she finally gave in. "Although we think that it was a murder." Her voice had a darker edge to it.

I was astonished. For a moment I forgot to breath.

"what?" it came out a little lower than a whisper.

"We think it was a murder, Bella. Actually, we're sure that it was a well conspired murder. But because of lack of evidence...we weren't able to prove it."

"how can you be so sure that it was a murder?" I asked in a little shaky voice.

Alice hesitated before replying – "Aro Volturi was Edward's father's cousin and their closest relative. Mr. and Mrs. Mason didn't actually have any other relative. Edward's family was very rich. His father's company, 'Men's Galaxy' was well known. The magazine was the bestseller of all times. I'm sure you might have heard of it. Aro Volturi was his business partner. If anything was supposed to happen to Edward senior, his entire company would have been overtaken by Aro. Well, that's exactly what happened. Not just Edward senior's company, but his entire property, money and everything else could have been in Aro's possession if his entire family would have died, which included his son, Edward." Alice stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Fortunately, Edward wasn't with his parents when that accident happened. Aro had called the entire Mason family to celebrate New Year Eve's party at his house. But Edward fell ill and at the last minute, the plan was changed. Edward's parents decided to leave Edward at home with a maid and went to visit Aro. And on their way to Aro's place, a loaded truck crashed into Mr. and Mrs. Mason's car and had a terrible accident. None of his parents survived. The witnesses present there stated that the truck purposefully collided with the car and then the driver drove away quickly without a second glance at the sufferers."

"However, their plan was not entirely successful as Edward was able to survive. Because now Mr. Mason's entire property and money would have under their son, Edward's ownership once he turned eighteen years old. Edward was shattered after his parent's death. He was emotionally and mentally broken. Aro was already under suspicion, so he wasn't allowed to adopt Edward and as I've said before, he didn't have any other relatives. Edward was sent to an orphanage. It was the same orphanage where, Carlisle made large amount of donations every year. Carlisle went for yearly donation to that orphanage when he saw Edward. He saw Edward sitting in a far corner on the floor, all alone, with his knees folded upto his chest and his arms around his knees. His eyes were dead, as hard as stone. He looked like a living shell, devoid of any type of emotions. His head rested against the wall. Carlisle asked about Edward from the manager of the orphanage and he informed Carlisle about Edward's history. It had been 3 months since Edward was brought to that orphanage and he hadn't spoken a word to anyone ever since. He did not mingled with any other kid there and stayed all by himself. He used to refuse to eat anything and didn't comply until and unless he was _forced_ to eat."

"After listening to all this, Carlisle decided to adopt Edward. Esme was beyond happy to welcome Edward to her home. She was instantly attached to him, but Edward took a long time to adjust. He never got over the loss of his parents but Carlisle's compassion and Esme's love won over him and gradually and slowly he became a part of this family. But of course, Edward was still a threat to Aro. Aro knew that once Edward turned eighteen, all the money and Mr. Mason's property would be under Edward's tenure. A couple of months after the car accident, when Aro was _somewhat _out of suspicion due to lack of evidences against him, Edward's life had been endangered more than once. Mysterious accidents and even planned attacks started to threaten Edward's life on daily basis. Carlisle became extremely strict regarding Edward's security after that. Body guards were hired and the police was informed of these attacks too. Aro had no chance. He was already under suspicion and he could not afford to plan further attack on Edward."

"According to his father's will, Edward was officially proclaimed the owner of Edward senior's property and money, after he turned eighteen. 'Men's Galaxy' is now owned by Aro's son, James. It is the biggest competitor of Mr. Denali's Company, 'Men's Fashion League' in which Edward is the chief executive director. This was one of the main purposes why Edward chose to join this company." Alice finished. By this time Alice's eyes were moist with emotions which she was trying very hard to hide and kept her eyes on the road.

I stared at her, completely in shock. There were millions of emotions running through me at that point. I was completely speechless. What shocked me above anything was the fact that Alice told all this to _me! _ A girl who she barely knows....

There were innumerable amount of questions I wanted to ask her at that moment, but instead I asked the most basic question that came to my mind.

"Alice...w-why did you tell something so....why did you tell this to me?" I managed to form a coherent sentence.

Alice sighed and turned to me before saying – "Bella, Edward has never been open to strangers ever since he lost his parents. He has lost faith, trust in _everyone._ I don't see him talking to anybody or being social at all unless it's absolutely necessary or for professional reasons. He had created these walls around him and hides his true emotions from everyone, even from _us_, his family. Even though he loves us a lot but even so, he hides his true feelings from us. But yesterday night....he was a complete different Edward. The way he laughed, so carefree on something that you said, the sparkle in his eyes when he saw you, the genuine smile that lit up his face while you talked.....I've never seen Edward behave this way before. I was seriously shocked, and so were Emmett, Esme and Carlisle. You wont believe it but after returning back home that night, Edward was smiling the entire time!" she chuckled at the memory, shaking her head. "Bella one night with you changed him _so _much! You had this effect on him in just a few hours, you deserved to know all this!" she concluded.

A huge and potent wave of emotion hit me like a huddle of bricks and I fought from the moisture that these emotions brought to my eyes. I couldn't believe that _I _could ever have that effect on anyone...it didn't make any sense!

The atmosphere in the car had changed drastically. The air around us was dense with unfathomable emotions. I didn't know what to say or how to react. I was too overwhelmed with the revelations to be able to be coherent.

Alice sensed it too and turned to look at me. "Wow, Bella" she said with a playful edge to her voice "just one night and you had such a huge effect on my brother! You must be an _amazing _kisser!" she said.

My cheeks flushed bright red at her comment. This made Alice laugh out loud and the atmosphere in the car calmed down significantly.

The rest of the way my mind was occupied by the thoughts of only one person.....

_Edward....._

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**A/N: I know! I'm really sorry; I wasn't able to put any of the things I mentioned in the previous chapter's author's note, in this chapter. But I thought it would be better if Bella knew about Edward's past **_**before **_**they could become friends. First I decided to let Bella find about Edward's past later, but then I decided against it. This seemed like a perfect time to reveal Edward's past....so please forgive me...all the things mentioned in previous chapter's author's note would be in the next chapter! So please review and tell me what you think about the chapter...**

**Please review!**

**Review!**

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	5. Chapter 5: BONDING

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own twilight. All the characters belong to SM.**

**Chapter 5**

**Bonding**

**BPOV**

We made it to the mall in a relatively jubilant mood. Alice told me some of the very interesting childhood stories, amalgamated with embarrassing childhood secrets, of her brothers' life. Apparently, after being adopted by the Cullens, Edward's childhood was filled with exuberance and jolliness. I found out more about Emmett and his absurd juvenile activities…and how his age has had no affect on his maturity department. We laughed and without realizing the atmosphere was significantly lightened. The instant attachment I felt towards Alice was enthralling. She had managed to win my heart the very first time I talked to her…but she was gradually earning a more special place in my life - a faithful friend. I felt such at ease and lightheaded when I was with her, it was hard to explain it in words.

We finally made it to the mall's parking lot and got out of the car, Alice practically dragging me, unable to contain the excitement of visiting every shop in the mall within her. She looked worse than a five year old at Christmas. The thriving chatters, light music, children's gleeful laughter filled my ears as we entered the mall. I noticed Edward, Emmett and Rosalie standing at a corner, Edward leaning against the side wall looking like a Greek God.

_Oh my God! Did I just think that?_

I shook my head vehemently to get rid of that thought. What was happening to me? They were supposedly waiting for both of us there; Alice knew how to get her way.

As I approached nearer, Edward's gaze fell on me. I smiled politely, which took him off guard for a moment. Realizing that he still thinks that the hate I possessed for him from our first encounter still resides in my heart, made me feel guilty. After recovering from his initial shock, he threw a brilliant crooked smile which made my heart jump twice it's normal rate. I mentally berated myself for letting him have such a significant impact on me.

"Hey guys, thanks for waiting for us" Alice said as we joined the group. Rosalie and Emmett greeted me with affable hugs while Edward shook my hand in acknowledgment. A familiar spark of electricity thrilled to my body and momentarily mesmerized my movements. I looked up timidly at him only to find him staring at me intently with a knowing look, as if trying to convey an emotion of recognition telling me that he felt it too. I don't know how long we stood there holding each others hands and looking in each others eyes but a certain person clearing their throat brought me out of my reverie. I looked up to see Emmett grinning from ear to ear, his gazed fixed at our intertwined hands and Rosalie and Alice looking at us with a similar knowing expression and amusement.

I retreated my hand and a pink blush made its way to my cheeks.

_What the hell is wrong with you woman! _I chastised myself.

"Alright, lets proceed further now, shall we?" Alice reminded us and we all followed her to the nearest shop.

The first shop we entered consisted of fashion related apparel and accessory stores, designer collections and clothing and beauty stores. After practically making me try the clothes of the entire shop, Alice somewhat settled down and agreed to let me shop for myself and she got lost in the nearby collection of designer shoes.

The only problem was that it left me alone with Edward.

We stood there for a moment looking at Alice babbling to the shopkeeper about something when Edward finally decided to put an end to the awkward silence.

"umm…Bella…" he began hesitatingly while I tried my best to ignore the way it made me feel to here my name from his lips…like soft velvet…like…

_Focus Bella!_

I looked at him, silently permitting him to continue.

"I wanted to apologize. Our first meeting wasn't…pleasant. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I hope you could forget the past and give me another chance?" he asked hopefully.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure. You _did _put me in an awkward situation in which I had to gift a free puppy for a Christmas gift!" I playfully rebuked.

His hearty laughter filled my ears and he shook his head at the memory.

"Yeah, well…that was kinda embarrassing" he replied with a light chuckle.

"Oh really" I retorted. "I guess being pampered by your girlfriend in the middle of a gift shop was comparatively _more _embarrassing, 'Eddie'"

This cut short his laughter and he gave me a playful glare.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" he said.

"Not unless you stop reminding me of my embarrassing moments."

He smiled affectionately and answered "Well, what do you say to you forgiving me and then we could stop embarrassing each other in public and maybe…be friends?"

"I think I'm gonna take you up for that offer" I replied returning his smile.

His facial expression relaxed while his eyes lit up with excitement and ecstasy.

"So, hey…I was thinking maybe you can help me select a couple of shirts…I'm not usually very good at this stuff. Alice mostly helps me but I guess she's little busy." He asked as we both turned to look at Alice who was animatedly trying to explain something to the shopkeeper while he stood there looking slightly terrified and uncomfortable.

Edward and I, both laughed at the scene and I readily agreed to help him find a suitable shirt.

We reached the men's section while Edward started picking up a couple of shirts. At my right was a huge rack of clothes, blocking the view of the other side of the shop and on my left was the changing room. Edward and I were currently the only people standing there when Edward picked up a nave blue shirt and a red one and went to the changing room. I waited for a several moments when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whirled around…and what I saw made me gasp.

Edward stood there…bare chest…looking way too gorgeous to describe in words. His blue jeans hung low on his waist. His well built muscles were clearly visible and the sight of his toned chest did nothing to prevent me from drooling. Finally I met his gaze and noticed that he had caught me staring and was now trying to hide his smile…unsuccessfully. He held a sly expression on his face while he held the two shirts out and gave me a confused look.

"Hey Bella, I can't seem to decide which color looks better. I mean I like blue but red also look great. What do you think?" he asked, faking such concern as if the fate of the entire world depended on his choice of color.

I was flabbergasted. For a long while I couldn't get the words out of my mouth. To top it all up, we were all alone in this area currently, which was Ofcourse why he thought of pulling this stunt in the first place. My heart was beating rapidly and my complete focus was on maintaining the normal rhythm of my breathing.

"Bella?" Edward's questioning voice held a smile and amusement.

_Hurry up Bella, reply him already and get it over with before you could make a bigger fool of yourself by unabashedly staring at this God of a man._

"Uh…um…I – well, b-blue?" was all I was able to stutter out which came out more like a question than a statement.

"What was that?" he asked, cocking his head to the side while taking a step closer to me.

My heart felt like it would explode any moment. I gulped while replying in what I hope was a firm voice. "Blue…blue would look good."

"Really, blue? What about this red one? I think it looks a little better. What do you say?" he asked inspecting the red shirt, all the while stepping closer to me. Instinctively I started backing away.

"Yeah, red then. Uh…red look great too." I stammered, still backing away from his approaching figure.

"Bella, you'll have to select one you know." He stated, now just a few inches away from me.

While backing away, my back touched the wall and I knew there was no escape. His scent intoxicated me, his sight poisoned me, his breath tickled me and every part of me was conscious of his closeness. I grew more and more anxious with time, knowing full well that if I didn't escape now then I won't be able to stop the instinctive response of my body when he was so close to me.

So I blurted out the only coherent sentence my mind was able to form – "you'll look good in anything"

My eyes grew wide in surprise as soon as the words left my mouth, unable to fathom that I just confessed that to him.

First his expression was a mixture of shock and excitement which later melted into a look of pure lust. I noticed his gaze fixed on my lips. Now I couldn't help stopping the way my breathing picked up, mirroring his. Shirts were long forgotten. It was just him and me. The familiar charge of electricity surrounded us much the similar way as it did when we were last this close during the Christmas party.

His leaned in and I impulsively brought my face forward.

"May I help you with anything, sir?"

Before our lips could barely even touch, an annoying overly-sweet high pitched voice interrupted us. With a frustrating sigh Edward turned back to see a tall blonde standing across from us, coming forward making sure to sway her hips a little too much which made her look as if she was drunk. She held a seductive smirk on her lips, her eyes intently trained on Edward and his bare chest.

No matter however illogical and unreasonable it was, but I felt a light burn creeping up my chest as my angered glare focused on her fake form.

She was an employee here and her name tag said her name was Lauren Mallory.

"Would you like me to help you select your outfit sir?" she purred in what was supposed to be a seductive voice, though her nasal screech of a voice was anything but seductive.

"No thank you. I think I'm gonna buy both of them" he answered looking at me with a sly smirk.

I looked at him in surprise.

_If he intended to buy _both _the shirts anyways, then what was the need to make me go through all that?!!_

He chuckled at my annoyed expression. He winked at me once before turning away to the changing room.

Lauren turned back to me, clearly aggravated by the fact that she wasn't able to attract even a part of Edward's attention, and scrutinized me from head to tow. His expression told that she wasn't impressed at what she saw. With a huff she turned back and went away.

_Oh boy! This is getting more and more complicated every second…_

After Edward's 'shirt shopping', we made our way towards the counter in search for Alice. We found her rummaging through a stack of clothes desperately.

"Um, Alice?" Edward said, making our presence known.

Without looking up at us she replied – "oh Edward, good you're finally here. I was just going to find you. I need you to carry a bunch of stuff." She babbled, too lost in her own world to see us standing behind us. She abruptly turned away from us and towards the corner of the shop while her spare hand – which was free from the loads of shopping bags – shot back and grabbed the wrist of a man standing before us.

"c'mon Edward, we haven't got all day" with that Alice dragged the poor man along with her to the corner where a black strapless dress hung magnificently. The man had blonde curly hair with light blue eyes. He was lean yet very good looking. I discerned the expression of shock on his face as Alice dragged him along with her. Edward and I were having way too much fun to alert Alice of her mistake.

She stopped in front of the dress as looked at it with a heartbreaking expression of longing and sorrow.

"I'll never look good in this splendid dress. I'm just so tiny; I'll never bode well in this dress.

I saw the man's expression turn from shock and surprise to an expression of utter adoration and disapproving look when he saw Alice's sad face.

"That's not possible. You'll look good in anything and everything in this store. If anything, I think this dress might not be worthy enough for _you._" The blonde man whispered in a very gentle and kind voice which rand with absolute sincerity.

I heard Alice let out a gasp as she whirled around to come face to face with the man. They stood there, their eyes boring into one another, their face inches apart.

Edward and I watched in awe as they introduced themselves and made small talks. Needless to say, the man – who introduced himself as Jasper – went away with Alice's phone number and Alice ended up buying the dress anyway.

I could feel the palpability of their instant attraction. It was the start of something new…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After a tiring day of shopping we all gathered at a restaurant, eating, laughing, joking, teasing and just having fun.

I was enthralled by how familiar and comfortable I felt in the company of a bunch of people who were practically strangers to me just a few hours ago. Their compassion, trust, humor, love and friendliness completely won over my heart. They felt like family in a time span of mere hours.

It didn't escape my notice the way Edward's eyes refused to stay unfocused from my face for more than a few minutes. Everytime I would catch him looking at me, he would merely smile his infamous crooked smile and I, being myself, blushed and looked away.

Edward's cell phone ringing caught my attention and I saw him grimace at the caller ID. He excused himself from the table and walked out to talk on his phone in private. I looked through the glass door and from what I could tell he was arguing with someone on the phone, running his hand through his bronze hair in frustration.

After arguing for a few minutes he slammed his phone shut and walked towards his car instead of coming back.

I frowned. Looking at him all depressed and irritated made me impulsively want to go and comfort him. And so I did.

I excused myself from the table and went towards the parking lot where he stood leaning against his Volvo, staring blankly at the sky with a depressed and regretful expression on his face.

I tentatively placed my hands on his shoulder which made him flinch in surprise before he acknowledged my presence.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked in concern.

"I wish I could say yes." was his reply as he resumed his act of staring blankly ahead of him with a sorrowful look on his exquisite face.

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked, hoping beyond anything that I could somehow erase that painful look from his features.

He hesitated for a moment before turning towards me. "It was…Tanya on the phone…." He replied with a dark and livid expression.

_Oh God…what did she do now…?_

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